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Wednesday, 14 October 2015

Quiet quilt - first circle

After a few more 9 patch blocks I couldn't help myself: the idea if circles has just been nagging away and I had to go with it. There are several ways I could get there of course: applique or reverse applique would seem pretty obvious, but instead I went for chopping into what I had made. I drew a freehand circle just to make sure I got the shape out of the block but only used it as a guide and cut freehand as close to the edges as I could.

Next I did this:

So now I'm pondering this. I think maybe I will make it a bit smaller (though I have been trying to work a little bit bigger!) or might cut this into a circle too and go round again. I know that the modern stripes don't sit quite right with the other fabrics yet, but that should come good as I repeat them in other places, but how I do that will depend on whether I keep this or not.Decisions, decisions!In the meantime I'm going back to the 9 patches for an hour or two.

I agree with the other commenters, the striped fabric adds focus to all this softness. Am I correct in this process? Cut the circles, subcut into quarters, sew 4 Drunkards Path, sew back together. The slight offsets add interest and keep the piece more informal.

I don't know what decisions you think have to be made...it looks as though you've already made them. And they work! Seriously, this works beautifully. You just need to keep going. Add more of the strip to other places if you feel it is too different but I see a good connection to the grayish strip. In fact everything is playing together really well. The gold is a little bold but the yellow with the flowers really helps to blend them both in. You've really got a fabulous composition going.

I LOVE this! I think you'll really be able to play with depth, the nine patches looking like they're behind the circles and so on. I especially love the way you haven't felt the need to 'complete' the circle - I love it when the eye/brain gets to do that for itself!